Echo Spot online, but showing as offline in the Alexa app

[tronski]

Bought two Echo spots just before Christmas and to date both stubbornly remain offline in the app. Amazon replaced them both and the replacements have the same issue, so pretty confident it's not the hardware. I already have an Echo Dot which works fine. I'm using a Google Wifi Router which sees both the 2.4/5Ghz networks as one and both the dot and Spot everything seems to be running on 5Ghz

• Tried a factory reset, no change
• No option to force Spot to switch to 2.4Ghz as far as I can tell

At a bit of a loss - anyone have any suggestions or experiencing something similar?

[mike27oct]

The reason your replacements have the same issue as the originals is because you attacked the SYMPTOMS and not the PROBLEM  I could have told you your problem was poor wi-fi at the devices.

First  of all, they should not be connected to 5G, because it is for streaming VIDEO devices at close range. You need long range for audio devices that could be at any distance from your router, so connect all Alexa audio devices to 2.4G,

For more info see this recent link where both I and forum moderator/owner, JWLV, commented about poor wi-fi in a similar post as yours.  Solution: you need to find and fix your wi-fi problems.

http://www.echotalk.org/index.php/topic,3366.0.html

[tronski]

Thanks for the reply - I don't think that's it. I've tried configuring the device when its sat on the kitchen table 4ft away from the router and the problem is still there, so it's not a distance from router issue.

As I mentioned, from what I can tell, Google WiFi doesn't give the option to manually assign a device to 2.4G and my existing Echo dot works fine on the 5G band, so it's unclear why one device from the same family is happy with the network setup and one isn't.

[mike27oct]

I am surprised to know a Google wifi (do you mean a router?) cannot be configured for the band of one's choice.  Most all modern routers can be.  I also did not say your problem is distance alone.  Did you read the other links I gave you, because if you did you would know that the environment near a router can be, and is, affected by neighbors.  Also did you read the CNET article referred to as well?

Onr thing I can be sure of saying is you are not getting multiple lemons from Amazon.  yo have wi-fi issues; what they are,I don't know, because I am not there to test things.

[dragon123]

If you run both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, do NOT name the wifi networks the same. Ie, MyHomeNetwork and MyHomeNetwork 5GHz. This is recommended anyway, but also this way you CAN manually see and adjust which band your device uses.

[tronski]

The product is called Google WiFi, but yes its a router.

https://support.google.com/wifi/answer/6293481?hl=en - The two bands are effectively bonded and can't be individually labeled or assigned to particular devices.

Yes, I read the CNET article but it nothing applied to my setup (distance - as mentioned, tried when 4ft away, bandwidth - switched everything else off and prioritized echo, interference - inSSIDer says the network isn't congested, not in a built-up area, no microwave + Google WiFi steers devices to uncongested bands  - no change).

Not clear why Echo Dot works fine (on 5g) without any manual configuration on the same network but Echo Spot doesn't.  All the other devices work on the network.

You are right, I'm not getting lemons from Amazon, but as evidenced, there is no indication there are broader Wifi problems. I'm curious what's different with the Spot than the Dot from a networking point of view as its that differential that is the variable. Very strange

[mike27oct]

I hope you "got" what Dragon said above, i.e. to give your two wi=fi bands different names so you KNOW and can DISTINGUISH between 2.4G and 5G so you can connect to the one you want.  I go a step further,  My two SSIDs are named MySSID-2.4G and MySSID-5G and connect streaming video devices to 5G (includes phone and tablets)and all other devices (Alexa audio ones) to 2.4.

InSSIDer is a nice app, but not portable unless you want to tote a laptop around house.  If you have any Android mobile devices, (including Kindle tablets) install Wi-Fi Analyzer on it.  Many of us here use this handy app to check wi-fi around the house.

[tronski]

Did you see the link I shared? Unfortunately, you can't give the different bands different names. It just appears as one band for most devices - or at least, in this case, there is no ability on Spot to force an alternative band AFAIK.

Why would Echo Dot works fine (on 5g) without any manual configuration on the same network but Echo Spot not?

[mike27oct]

Thanks for the reminder to check out the link.  I read it, and totally disagree.  There is a BIG difference between watching HD streaming video on 2,4G and 5G, (such as buffering and annoying pauses and stutter versus none.) and I want to be on 5G only for mpst things.  I do not want a router to make that decision for me.  I keep the 2.4G of my iPhone "forgotten" because I never want my phone to connect to it.  Sometimes I do turn it on to test something, but if I neglect to forget it again, next time I leave and come back in to house, (even if I was last connected to ,5G) my iPhone will connect to the signal it sees first and that is 2.4G, because the range of 2.4G is farther -- but it is also much slower than 5G.  (The case is same for current and previous phones.)

5G ia also faster for downloading data, be it app updates or any other files.

I think Google;s reasoning is basically smoke and mirrors, it's done this way because it costs them less to make them, for sure.

I am so glad I do not have the Google wi-fi router and would not even accept one as a gift!  This does explain in some way why your Alexa devices are having wi-fi issues.  My advice is to dump this router and get a true (and distinct) dual band router, but you likely won't. 

[tronski]

In amongst your attempts at helping, I've really appreciated the unnecessary snide remarks in many of your comments..

"you attacked the SYMPTOMS and not the PROBLEM  I could have told you your problem was poor wi-fi at the devices.."
"My advice is to dump this router and get a true (and distinct) dual-band router, but you likely won't. "

Thanks for your efforts nonetheless...

[mike27oct]

Good luck getting your problem solved.  I wish you well.

Sorry you took some comments as snide, but there is more truth in them than you may want to admit.  One always takes a risk when pointing out the Emperor has no clothes.

[Ruggle]

Hi All,

I have 10 Amazon Echo products and 19 Sonos placed around my villa.

Amazon products:
Dot
Tap
Echo

recently i purchased:
1 X Show and 3 x Spot

I have a 100mb internet connection, and Google Wifi

The spot and show are all on the latest firmware as is the Google Wifi,  all Amazon and Sonos devices are working fine, with the exception of the show and spot, both are working (Prime Music, Videos, Queries, Translations etc) but are showing as offline in the iOS and web app.

Hopefully someone has come across these issues and has resolved them, I love the spot but it would be nice to be able to configure them.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 

[tronski]

Just to add some closure to my issue. Got connected with Amazon 2nd level support who found a geo setting error on my account so the device was trying to connect to the wrong country.

Unsurprisingly nothing to do with the router or my home network and not something that could be adjusted by the end user.

YMMV but would encourage anyone with a similar problem to persevere getting escalated beyond the initial call handler.

[Ruggle]

Simple fix, just figured it out myself.

Similar to your issues I am sure.

So it turns out I also have an amazon.co.uk account.

I downloaded the Alexa app from the US iTunes Store back in the days that was the only geo you could download it from. and I assume this is hardcoded to Amazon.com. Also if you google Alexa Web App you will get a login page https://www.amazon.com/ap/signin?... note this is also hardcoded to amazon.com

So here is the weird bit, even though your account is amazon.co.uk the amazon.com iOS and web app just lets you log in? so you think all good? but no this creates a completely separate profile, you can see this if you delete .com and replace it with .co.uk in the url, then log in. Suddenly all my devices "show" and "spot" are online and I can see my news briefings and other settings are all back to default settings.

Not sure why the web app and iOS app when you log in does not error or simply redirect you to the correct login page?

Any how, all devices now online, absolutely nothing to do with wifi connectivity, I can understand why there are so many people confused by this.

I'll download the UK iTunes Alexa app and see if that solves my offline issues on the iOS app.

Thank you Tronski for pointing me in the right direction.

All the best,

Simon

[Ruggle]

No joy with iOS app, even when downloaded for UK app store it stubbornly sets itself to amazon.com.

So logs me in but then tells me that my spots and shows are offline, head in hands.

No option as far as I can see to change the geo. So back to initial issue on the iOS app at least.

I guess I could create a US amazon.com account and see if that resolves the problem, but that would then require me to purchase prime etc again.

All seems a bit of a mess, even the amazon.com support team simply refers you to the amazon.co.uk support team and explains that they are different teams. Think it is time to give Jeff a mail.

Please let me know if you are facing similar issues. At least I can now configure my devices using the co.uk Webb app.